In metal monocoque fuselage structures for aerospace vehicles such as airplanes, frames and stringers are commonly attached to the metal skin by fasteners such as rivets having heads that are countersunk within the skin. In some cases, circumferential strips of material, commonly known as “tear straps”, are placed between the skin and the frames in order to reduce hoop stress. Also, in some cases, separate clips are used to connect the stringers to the frames in order to transfer a portion of the load on the stringers to the frames. In order to assure that the skin exhibits uniform structural strength, the gauge or thickness of the skin in the area of the fasteners is increased so as to form “lands” or “pad-ups” whose thickness is sufficient to accommodate the countersink depth of the fastener head. The skin lands add weight to the aircraft, and increase aircraft assembly time since it is necessary to machine or otherwise remove a portion of the skin thickness in order to form the lands.
It would therefore be desirable to reduce or eliminate the need for skin lands in order to reduce fuselage weight and assembly time. It would also be desirable to reduce the number of fasteners required to attach the skin to the stringers and the frame.